Healthcare exchange sign-ups in Wisconsin skew older than other states

Nearly half of the Wisconsin and West Virginia residents who signed up for health insurance through the new online exchanges are between the ages of 55 and 64, tying for the highest rate in the nation and raising the possibility that the two states could see higher insurance rates down the line.

Figures released by the federal government Monday show that 45 percent of enrollees in those two states were between the ages of 55 and 64. By comparison, the next-highest rate was 21 percent of enrollees in each state between the ages of 45 to 54.

Generally, states want a sizable number of young people to enroll so their participation offsets the costs of covering older, sicker Americans. If enough young people decline to buy insurance through state or federal marketplaces, it could throw off the market's equilibrium and cause insurance rates to rise dramatically the following year.

More than 2 million Americans signed up for government-subsidized private insurance by the end of December, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Of those enrollees, 33 percent were ages 55 to 64.

Federal officials said the higher rates in Wisconsin and West Virginia could reflect state demographics, as well as a tendency for older residents to sign up before younger people. Officials said they expect a surge of younger people signing up toward the end of open enrollment March 31.

"We think more and more young people will sign up as time goes by," said Gary Cohen, a deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "We're very pleased with the percentages that we have so far."

Messages left with the offices of the insurance commissioners in both states weren't immediately returned.